An Authentic Church

Preached 5/30/2021

[audio]

Acts 2:42-47   ⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

 

INTRODUCTION

How is your church experience?  Do you look forward to church?  How many church opportunities do you participate in each week?  Do you attend bible study?  Prayer meeting? Men’s group?  Women’s group?  Work days?  Retreats?  How do you minister to others each week? 

A question we should ask ourselves is: what does God expect of me as a Christian?  How am I doing?  How do I live out my Christian life in a way that pleases and give glory to God?  Is God pleased with my walk? 

Well, church has become many things to many people.  We have many different traditions.  But we have an account of church from before this complicated time, when the apostles were still here, guiding and leading the church.  One such account is found in Acts chapter two.  What did the Acts 2 church look like?

 

I. Obsessing (42-43)

As we look at this vivid picture of the first church in history we learn many lessons about how we should approach church today.  Yes, their situation was somewhat unique.  Two thousand years later our situation is different: the church of today is not run by the apostles directly, and it spans many countries and cultures and political environments. But the universal church is the same one started back at Pentecost.  It is the same body of Christ with the same Jesus and the same gospel and the same redemption by the same faith by the same sacrifice.  As the group Whiteheart wrote in a song called “the flame passes on”:

Because of them we know His Name
So let's lift the cross, and do the same
An unbroken line of believers
Building a human chain
And the flame passes on,

This beginning of the church, then, calls us to action.  Surely what the Holy Spirit started, and what the apostles cultivated, gives us an example to follow.  How we implement it might be different.  We have a church building in which to meet instead of just home groups.  We can use the internet to meet and exchange news.  We can send missionaries on jets to literally the far side of the planet in hours, and wire them funds electronically.  But those are just details.  It is still the same church.  We still have the same Lord.  We still have the same purpose.

So how did these Christian live?  When we look at the first two verses of our passage for today we see one main word:

Acts 2:42-43  ⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

Verse 42 starts with a verb.  Depending on your translation you may have something like “devoted” or maybe “continued steadfastly”.  It is a Present Participle, which denotes an action that is repeated continuously.  It is active, so it describes what the Christians performed, not what they passively experienced.  But more interesting is the meaning of the word itself. The word proskartereō means to be attentive to, or to adhere closely to, or to persevere in or even to be in constant readiness for.  It was used of a military aide who stays by the side of his commander to do his every wish.  Sinclair Ferguson says that it could even be translated addicted to.  What were the early Christians addicted to?  According to verse 42 this addiction had three objects: 

1. The apostles’ teaching
2. Their fellow Christians
3. The worship of God

The Spirit of God produced an addiction… an obsession… a devotion to each of these three things.  And it was not just once a week.  We see in verse 46 that they got together to do these things “day by day”.  Lest we think that this was “convenient”, remember that was back before the 40-hour work-week.  It was before the two-day weekend.  People rose before dawn and worked until sunset - six days a week.  And yet the pull of these three things consumed them.  They were addicted.  This obsession is the mark of a redeemed heart.  But it also describes what Christians are commanded to do by our Lord in scripture. These are the marks of a Christian. Let’s consider each one:

 

The Apostles’ Teaching

While we don’t have Peter, James, John and the rest of the apostles among us, we have their teaching in the Bible.  God has miraculously kept the Bible around for thousands of years, and in our age there are more bibles around than in any time in history.  We are blessed beyond measure with books, websites and apps.  We have many translations into hundreds of languages to choose from.  We have bible study tools at our fingertips.  When I was younger one of the first study books I purchased was a HUGE NASB Exhaustive Concordance.  It is inches thick and weighs nearly 6 ½ pounds (I weighed it last night).  It was my pride and joy for years.  But now on my phone I can access BlueLetterBible.com and other sites which will show me various English translations with the Greek text alongside.  I can look at words and see their meanings and etymology.  I can click on a word and have it tell me that the word is a present active participle verb and what that means.  We are literally sitting on a mountain of bible study riches unparalleled in all of human history!  And today we don’t have to get in a chariot or ride a donkey miles from our farm to some poorly lit house across town to sit on the dirt floor and hear our neighbor teach God’s word by candlelight.  We can participate personally in Bible study discussions a thousand miles away through programs like Zoom.

With all of these amazing blessings from God, that addiction must be producing record numbers of participants, eagerly lapping up the precious words of God, that tell us about Jesus and his love and his commandments for our lives, right?  Unfortunately we know that this is not true.  As participation gets easier it actually decreases.  Even in a church whose motto is literally “the Bible, the Whole Bible, and Nothing But the Bible” we are happy if we get nine or ten people to call in to our Sunday school class.  Our fellowship in the word is sweet, but we wish there were more.

 

Other Christians

Speaking of fellowship, the next two items fit into that category.  The first type of fellowship is mostly horizontal and Luke describes it as Breaking of Bread.  To understand, we should first look at the word “fellowship”.  The Greek word koinōnia carries the idea of belonging, intimacy, participation, community, communion, and association.  It is to share life with those with whom we have something in common.  As Christians it is hard to even count that which we have in common. We have a common purpose for existing, a common eternal destiny, A common Savior, a common family, a common kingdom, a common comforter in the Holy Spirit. Paul warns the Christians in Ephesus to be careful to “maintain the unity of the Spirit” because

Ephesians 4:3-6  There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call--  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Because we have all of this in common, we must desire that fellowship. We cannot have that kind of relationship with non-believers.  As Paul warns the believers in Corinth:

2 Corinthians 6:14  Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 

The apostle John tells us

1 John 3:14  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

In other words, it is completely natural to a Christian’s character to desire to share life with other Christians.  And God put this desire in his people on purpose, because that fellowship is part of our purpose on this earth.  We see this in the “one another” commands in the New Testament.  The word translated “one another” is allēlōn (allēlōus, allēlōis).  It is used exactly 100 times in the New Testament and forms the object of many, many commands, all of which flow from the main one:

John 13:34  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

Scripture says we are “members of one another”, “live in harmony with one another”, “welcome one another”, “instruct one another”, “greet one another with a holy kiss”, come together to eat and “wait for one another”, “have the same care for one another”, “through love serve one another”, “bear one anothers’ burdens”, “be kind to one another”, forgive one another, submit to one another, “bear with one another”, “encourage one another”, give thanks for one another, “stir up one another to love and good works”, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another”, “show hospitality to one another”, “clothe yourselves … with humility toward one another”, and “love one another”, “love one another”, “love one another”, “love one another”, …

Here’s a question: can we fulfill these commands by watching famous preachers on TV instead of going to church, or just by attending an hour long service once a week and then not coming back for 167 hours to repeat the same formula? There is a meme out there that is often posted on Facebook by well-meaning, earnest Christians that drives me crazy, Yes, it sounds all spiritual, but it is unbiblical.  (Half of it is scriptural, to be sure, but the other half is exactly against scripture and the mixing of the two negates the point of the good part.)  It usually reads something like this: “God does not want you to go to church!  He wants you to love people!” The error of this statement should be obvious in the light of the one another commands we have just listed.  There is a place that God provided to live out those commands.  It is in the assembling of believers together.  The Acts 2 Christians did it daily.  Consider one more verse on this subject: Hebrews 10:24. Now verse 25 of that chapter is the standard “proof text” that we go to prove that people should go to church.  But that is not the entire sentence.  Let’s look at the command in its entirety:

Hebrews 10:24-25  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Notice that the command to not neglect getting together is framed by not one - but two – one anothers.  The whole purpose of assembling together for fellowship is to have a place to fulfill our purpose in this world.  And it is no use saying “but I don’t get anything out of those get-togethers.”  The “one another” part is that someone else will get something out of seeing you.

By the way, there are negative one anothers also: Don’t provoke or envy one another, don’t “bite and devour one another”, “do not lie to one another”, don’t repay evil to one another, don’t hate one another, do not grumble against one another, don’t speak evil of one another.

 

Worship of the Lord

The third object of their addiction was the vertical element of fellowship: prayer. Our primary relationship is our relationship with God, but all through scripture He tells his people to worship together. This includes corporate prayer. Paul writes:

1 Timothy 2:8   Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

God’s people are commanded to regularly pray together.  Lest anyone think that this verse allows for people alone in their prayer closet (though solitary prayer is also commanded in scripture), note the negative part: “without wrath and dissension”.  Obviously that implies that these men are in a prayer meeting.  If you are fighting with yourself in your prayer closet you have a problem …. that someone else should pray with you about.

 

II Belonging (44-45)

What was the result of this studying, this fellowship, this communion, this prayer and this fear?  They became a family – in every sense of the word.  The body of Christ became their home:

Acts 2:44-45  ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

This is a truly miraculous result.  Think about what a change in the human heart this represents. Parents, think back to you’re your children were toddlers. What was just about the most favorite word of every toddler when they start engaging in meaningful social contact with others?  “MINE!”  As we start developing a sense of self, the next step is to distinguish between “mine” and “yours”.  It takes a lot to unlearn that and practice the social custom of hospitality and sharing, but most people do… to some extent.  It is still hard to share, though we generally respect those who give generously to others.

When it comes to family we naturally go farther.  Even the natural tendency to share is greater there.  There is an almost universal saying that says “blood is thicker than water”.  If all else fails, family is the thing that we give (or ought to give) our all to. One of reasons that the lockdowns around the world have caused so much emotional and psychological distress is that many families were separated and could not get together for holidays like they usually would.  Not all families work out for good, but we generally give family members a higher priority than co-workers and neighbors.

In the first century church we see the idea of family taken to what would seem to be an extreme level.  Everyone seems to have others’ interests at heart.  For those first Christians the body of Christ was their family.  And there were two manifestations of this:

1. First, they were together.  This obviously refers to their actions in the previous two verses that we already talked about.  They just couldn’t get enough of their brothers and sisters in Christ.  
   

2. Secondly, they cared for each other.  Verses 44 and 45 make it clear that in the church everyone was taken care of. They were
• Unselfish – they thought of others,
• Generous – they valued others more than their accumulated things,
• Conscientious – they met real needs, and
• Impartial – they helped anybody in need.

In the end, they acted like the example Jesus gave in the parable of the Good Samaritan, who cared for a stranger, treated his wounds, brought him to an inn, paid for his room and board and put himself on the line for further needs.  This is the example given by Jesus when asked about fulfilling the command to “love your neighbor as yourself”.

We should point out that there is a tendency to misunderstand this passage.  Is the behavior of the early Jerusalem church normative for all churches?  Should we take a vow of privacy and give everything to the church?  Are we supposed to form communes and live together in rough robes?  Is this telling us that Jesus and the apostles are advocating Communism?  There are churches and movements that argue over these questions and we should address them quickly. If we look at these verses in the light of the rest of scripture we can quickly see what the point of this passage is:

1. First of all, in the text itself we see a few things.  The giving was voluntary. People brought offerings to the apostles,  who soon appointed deacons to administer charity to those who needed it.  There is no recording of any command to do so – it flowed from the people. In chapter five Ananias and Sapphira were not condemned for holding back part of the proceeds of their property sale, but for lying about it to make themselves look more spiritual. 

2. Secondly, nowhere in the epistles (which were written by the apostles to the church) is there any command for communal property or any command to own nothing.  We are commanded to generously care for other Christians and for our families. James tells us that true religion cares for orphans and widows in need.  Paul takes up an offering from the Corinthian believers to help the poor believers in Jerusalem.  He quotes Jesus saying that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” and that “God loves a cheerful giver”.  But Paul also warns the church to only give assistance to those who are really in need (“a widow indeed” 1 Timothy 5) and commands that  “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 so that they church would not be filled with “idle” “busybodies”.

3. All through scripture we see that some Christians had houses because they hosted churches in them.  In several places we see that the church consisted of believers from many different social and economic classes.  Onesimus was a slave.  So the bible definitely not teach that Christians were the first communists.

All of this should be obvious.  The point here is twofold: 

• Firstly, the phrase “blood is thicker than water” came to them to refer to the blood of Christ that joined them together in a forever family.  They had a new family now, and they were fully in love with and dedicated to that family. Does this eliminate our obligations to our earthly families?  Absolutely not!  Consider the commands of Ephesians chapter five which tell us not to neglect those relationships, whether we are fathers, mothers, children, wives or husbands.  Paul is very clear when he says this:

1 Timothy 5:8  … if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

The problem is this, however.  Many Christians are not really committed to their spiritual family at all and are willing to sunder their bonds with their Christian friends at the slightest perceived slight against their family members.  I have seen countless church splits because of this, and the vitality of local churches ravaged by those who reckon their spiritual ties to be much less important than their earthly relatives.  I remember one such person, when presented with the damage that their relative had caused to the church by their anger, telling the council “you don’t expect me to turn against my own (relative), do you?”  The facts didn’t matter.  Earthly blood was more important than Christ’s blood, I guess.  But think about this: Sapphira was taken by God because she repeated her husband’s lies to Peter.  Supporting family over righteousness and God’s family resulted in judgment.  I’m glad that God does not strike us dead like that now, or I probably would not be here to speak to you this morning.  But it is a stark reminder of how important our new family really is.

• Secondly and most importantly, they fulfilled the command of Jesus to love one another.  The same command we have. In his high priestly prayer in the garden of Gethsemane (recorded in John chapter 17) Jesus said that the world would know that He had come if we would just obey that commandment.  We will see in verse 47 that this was literally fulfilled in the church right at the start!

 

III Celebrating (46-47)

The mood of our public fellowship is manifested in the last two verses of the chapter.  As we read them we see a tremendous outbreak of joy and gladness:

Acts 2:42-47   And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Is your week a drag?  The Acts 2 church was filled with excitement and happiness and thankfulness.  With the word understood they knew what God had done for them.  With their breaking of bread together they did all of the one-anothers for each other and built each other up.  And they prayed together, sharing one anothers’ burdens, leading to love and encouragement and comfort.  Even the food that they shared became a sign of God’s goodness.

This was not an artificial happiness, but a joy of fulfillment and being loved.  They went to one anothers’ homes, broke bread, shared their burdens with each other, and praised God together.  A canned church service was not enough.  Their fellowship together let everyone participate in the praise and celebration.  Note that their fellowship was spiritual.  They talked about Jesus.  They fulfilled the requirements to be able to rejoice that are described by Paul in Philippians 4:

Phil 4:5,6,9  ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ^…. ⁹ What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Note the parallel with our passage – thankfulness, prayer, fellowship, and devotion to the apostles’ teachings.  Fellowship is not just talking about common worldly interests.  Christian fellowship must be centered around Christ, or it’s just worldly babble, destined to dissipate in the final judgment.  Spiritual fellowship is this:

Colossians 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

How is your joy?

 

Conclusion

This is what the Acts chapter two church looked like, and it is what our churches should look like. But over the years our “worship” has become packaged, standardized, and formalized.  We turn on the “Christian switch” on Sunday morning at church (often just getting there as the official service starts) and watch the clock until closing time where we turn off the switch and high-tail it out of the parking lot.  Or maybe we stay to discuss movies, sporting events or video games with someone for a few minutes for “fellowship”.  And then we start the 167 hour countdown until our next exposure.  And we have let that happen without perhaps even realizing it.  Sinclair Ferguson made this interesting observation:

“Sometimes the very architecture of our church buildings suggests that being a member is like having a season ticket for a bus commute: you show your ticket, climb on board, face the same way as all the other passengers, are driven to the destination by the man at the front, disembark at the end, and get on with your life”.

Of course we say that church is fun!  We sing a couple of songs fervently and we listen obediently to the sermon (while perhaps thinking about what we plan to have for lunch).  And the church shrinks because we do not carry a sense of the joy of knowing Christ out into the world.

Church growth experts tell us that churches need to have more fun activities and lay off of the boring bible study and prayer.  People are put off by “religious” activities – we should have funny skits and lasers and smoke machines and a great big worship band and perhaps a crystal roof or songs from TV sitcoms instead of the old boring hymns.  But the formula for growth in Acts (that pesky book in the bible that gives the history of when the church turned the entire world upside down) has a different formula.  At least three times in the early chapters of Acts we are told of explosive growth in the church. 

• The first talks about 3000 souls being added to the church.  This happened not with a comedy skit but when Peter preached the unabashed gospel to the crowd at Pentecost.  The reaction? They were “cut to the heart”.  (A big no-no to church growth experts)

• The second is in our passage for today.  When the people pursued the three things – bible study, fellowship and prayer – every soul felt “awe” day by day, and “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”  The word “awe” is the Greek word phobos (from which we get the word phobia) that means “fear”.

• Beginning to see a pattern here?

• The third one is in Acts chapter 5 after the harsh church discipline of the lying couple.  It says that “great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.  We see an interesting contradiction in 5:13 and 14.  In verse 13 it says “None of the rest dared join them” but verse 14 says “and more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.”

So the outcome of a functioning Acts 2 church is an environment where the sense of God is overpowering.  Furguson ends his chapter on these verses with this conclusion:

“That is real church.  Outsiders will feel they are not really fit to join.  And yet at the same time the displays of God’s life-transforming grace in the fellowship awaken in them a deep longing for what they see – perhaps even with a little jealousy sometimes.  The result is that they are irresistibly drawn to Christ and all the blessings enjoyed in the fellowship of his church.

Yes, loving your church is a healthy addiction.  And the Spirit wants to make it contagious.”